All Kinds of Backwards
by Lkay09
Summary: A big what-if: what if Lily was the Marauder and James was the well-behaved one? What if Lily pursued him and he wanted nothing to do with her? Set in Hogwarts, and everything is switched up. First new story in almost three years!
1. Allow Me to Introduce Myself

**Whaaaaa I'm back! So I was working on the later chapters of this story and decided to update my profile and then I just got too excited and decided to post the first chapter because it has been FOREVER since I've posted ANYTHING. This is just a prologue/teaser kind of thing for this story, but I'm eager to hear y'all's feedback and hope to have a regular posting schedule for this story because it is probably 3/4 done at this point. Enjoy!**

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"Can we sit here?"

Lily looked up at the two boys standing in the doorway of their train compartment. One, with messy black hair and glasses, seemed to be the one that had spoken. She nodded, and turned back to her new friends, Alice, Marlene, and Sirius, and resumed laughing at Sirius's story.

The black-haired boy was followed in by a thinner one with sandy hair. They sat down at the other end of the compartment and began discussing something in low voices. Curious in spite of herself, Lily stood and walked over to them.

"I'm Lily," she said boldly, sticking out her hand. They each shook it.

"James," the black-haired boy said. "Remus," said the other.

"Nice to meet you two," Lily replied, plopping down on the seat next to James. "Tell me about yourselves." They both shifted uncomfortably under her piercing gaze, but before she could question them any further, the trolley cart arrived, and everyone stood to buy some sweets.

Lily studied James over her bag of Every Flavored Beans. He was cute in a dorky sort of way, she decided, and she liked him.

The train arrived at Hogwarts, and Lily began to get nervous. Noticing this, Sirius leaned towards her and said softly, "Don't worry. You'll be okay. You're gonna be in Gryffindor with me, I bet you anything." Only slightly reassured, Lily nodded and followed them out of their compartment.

She sat in a boat next to Sirius, James, and Remus. Alice and Marlene had gotten into another boat somewhere and their absence was making her nervous. Lily found herself reaching over for James's hand. He didn't say anything, just squeezed it for a second and then released it, staring ahead at the castle.

"Black, Sirius!" _Gryffindor_.

"Evans, Lily!" _Gryffindor._

"Lupin, Remus!" _Gryffindor._

"McKinnon, Marlene!" _Gryffindor._

"Pettigrew, Peter!" _Gryffindor_.

"Potter, James!" _Gryffindor_.

"Prewett, Alice!" _Hufflepuff._

Lily was disappointed when Alice headed off to sit with those with badgers on their robes, and thought of dinner to cheer herself up. She was wedged in between Sirius and Marlene, both of whom were cracking jokes, and she was across from James, who was laughing half-heartedly and mostly looking down at his plate.

"Oy, Lily, guys are already looking at you," Sirius whispered conspiratorially, nodding towards a few of the Ravenclaws sitting opposite them. "Need me to beat anyone up?"

Lily tossed her head back and laughed, unaware that the Ravenclaws, and some of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors as well, were following the movements of her bright red hair. "No Sirius, though I appreciate it. It's only the first night, and I think you've caused enough scandal here already." It hadn't escaped Lily's notice that when Sirius was announced as a Gryffindor hardly anyone applauded and most of the hall gave itself over to whispers. As a Muggleborn, Lily hadn't understood what was going on until Sirius had enlightened her after her own Sorting. Apparently his family was fairly evil and _always_ Slytherin.

A prefect led them up to Gryffindor Tower, and Lily looked around in awe at the Common Room. She could hear the other first years muttering next to her, and wondered if they were as impressed as she was.

"Wow," she heard from next to her and turned to see James standing there, his glasses slightly lopsided and his mouth open a little. She faced him completely.

"Cool, huh?" James nodded without looking at her. "It looks a lot like my dad said it would."

"Your dad was in Gryffindor, too?" she asked interestedly. James nodded, then walked to the first year boys dormitory without saying another word. Lily followed Marlene up the stairs to their dorm, gasping in awe with the other girls at the sight of their red and gold four poster beds.

"You know," Marlene said, looking at Lily and smiling mischievously, "I think these next seven years are going to be pretty darn awesome. Don't you?"

Lily returned the grin and replied, "We are gonna tear this place up."

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 **Not much to start with, I know, but I promise it gets better from here. I am thinking we are gonna end up with about twelve chapters total, so we shall see how it goes! As always, reviews are appreciated! Much Love!**


	2. Some Time Later

**Look at me, updating on time! Whoop, Chapter 2, which starts towards the end of their sixth year. Enjoy!**

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"Potter!"

James Potter rolled his eyes and turned around to face the redhead walking up behind him. She smiled confidently as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Yes, Evans?"

Lily bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

James tried to refrain from rolling his eyes again and nodded – he knew where this was going.

"Want to go with me?"

He let out a frustrated groan and turned around, beginning to walk down the hall again. Lily, not taking the hint, followed him. "Well?"

"No, Evans." She rolled her eyes this time and followed him further down the hall, frustrated by his continuing refusals.

"Why the bloody hell not?"

"I have a date."

Lily stopped walking and stared at his retreating back. James Potter had a _date_? Since when?

James noticed that Lily had stopped following him and sighed in relief. Speeding up slightly, he made his way towards the kitchens and finally relaxed when the door shut behind him. Why couldn't the girl take a hint? He wasn't interested.

Lily trudged morosely back to the common room, muttering the password and collapsing in front of the fire, staring at it without really seeing it.

Why she was so fascinated with James Potter, she had yet to figure out. Lily knew she liked him, but he didn't seem to have any interest in her – maybe that was it. All the other guys in school had either asked her out or been asked out by her already. As a result, the only guys she had yet to go out with were Sirius, James, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and the Slytherins. But Sirius was practically her brother and she had no interest in Remus or Peter other than friendship.

But James, she honestly felt something for, or at least she thought she did. Everything she'd seen of him over the years she'd liked: he was cute, smart, funny when he chose to be, kind, slightly nerdy. Maybe, she mused, this was some kind of karmic payback for the pranks she had assisted Sirius with over the last six years, and the hearts she had broken. She never had been very careful with the guys she dated. The second she lost interest, the relationship was over.

"Finally, I found you! Where have you been?" Sirius's voice cut into her thoughts. Lily looked at him as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"Getting turned down, _again_ ," she replied sullenly. Sirius sighed and pulled her towards him so that he was hugging her awkwardly.

"Why do you keep doing it Lily?"

"Because I like him," she murmured into his shoulder. Sirius pulled away from her slightly and looked her dead in the eye. They stared at each other for a few moments before Sirius sighed again.

"I told you this was going to happen. As soon as Marlene dared you to ask him out, I knew you were going to really fall for him. Lil, you know he's not interested in anyone except that Jennifer girl that's going to Hogsmeade with him next weekend."

The back of Lily's throat seemed to be burning. "I need to go, umm, study something." Without waiting for a response, she stood and dashed upstairs, flinging herself on her bed. She let out a frustrated groan and pummeled her pillows.

Damn Marlene! This was all her fault – during a game of Truth or Dare in their third year, she had dared Lily to ask James out, and she had. He had said no and, not being one to give up easily, Lily had kept after him. Now it was the end of sixth year and he still refused her, except now it tended to hurt.

The sound of the door opening, followed by footsteps caused Lily to turn her head slightly. Marlene was standing there uncomfortably.

"Sirius told me he turned you down again."

Lily grimaced. "Thanks for the reminder."

"Sorry," she muttered. "Look Lily, I know this is kind of my fault, since I dared you to ask him out in the first place, but I never meant for you to take it this far. The dare was only for you to ask him out the one time. Why do you keep doing it?"

Lily sighed and rolled onto her back, staring up at her canopy as she repeated the words she said to Sirius, "I like him." She could practically feel Marlene's skepticism oozing off her, and she sat up, looking her dead in the eye. "I know it seems unlikely, but I do. I honestly like him, and I just wish he would give me a chance. I just think that maybe he'll eventually say yes, and then he'll see how good we could be together. What do you think the chances are of that happening?" She looked at her friend hopefully.

Marlene sat gingerly on the edge of Lily's bed and reached for her hand. "Not good, sweetie. I'm sorry, but as much as you like him, he dislikes you that much more. I think you should give up on James Potter. There are plenty of guys in the school who would be happy to date you…again." The corners of Lily's mouth turned up for a fraction of a second, then she frowned again.

"You really don't think he'll ever be interested in me?"

Reluctantly, Marlene shook her head. Lily sighed, trying not to feel the overwhelming hurt and disappointment that accompanied this revelation.

"Then I guess I give up." She met Marlene's gaze and smiled half-heartedly. "Really. I'm going to try to get over him and move on and find someone else, someone who doesn't run in the opposite direction when he sees me. At least it's the last few days of school. I can avoid him, and then spend the summer finding a new guy."

"Or," Marlene ventured, "you could stay single for awhile."

Lily's eyes widened at the suggestion, and Marlene hastened to explain. "You have never been single longer than two weeks since you've been here, and I think it would do you some good. Just try it, Lily-pad. It might work for you, and it might help with the whole getting-over-James thing."

Her eyes lost their shocked look, and became kind of thoughtful. "You know, I might try that too. Apparently this is my summer to be doing new things, so I might as well do as many as possible. Getting over James, and staying single…this summer is going to be very interesting."

* * *

James couldn't help but feel slightly off balance in the last few days of the term. He had become somewhat accustomed to Lily Evans chasing him around asking him out and now…it was almost like she was avoiding him. At mealtimes she had taken to sitting with her friends and not even _glancing_ at him.

And now that he was thinking about it, it was kind of…nice. Whatever she was doing, he hoped it continued throughout their next – and final – year at Hogwarts so that he could actually enjoy himself without constantly looking over his shoulder in case she snuck up on him. James just prayed that she wasn't trying to lure him into a false sense of security.

* * *

Finally, Lily sighed, they were on the train on the way home, and now all she had to do was suffer through this summer doing her best to get over James. Oh, and Petunia's wedding was coming up as well, and their mother had insisted she let Lily be the maid of honor.

Sirius noticed his best friend's distracted look and furrowed his brow. It was one of two things, he knew – Petunia or Potter. Judging by the slightly angrier look on her face, it was her sister. Sirius had already offered to come with Lily to the wedding, as had Marlene and Alice, but she had insisted she could handle it and she didn't want to give her sister another reason to hate her. Bringing other 'freaks' to her wedding would be a surefire way to do it.

He attempted to distract her with a game of Exploding Snap, and was glad to see that for the most part, he succeeded. After a few games, she grew bored and pulled out one of her many books and began to read, not setting the book down until the train arrived in London.

In the chaos that usually surrounded the disembarking , Lily picked up her trunk and left her book sitting on the seat. Marlene spotted it, and attempted to follow her redheaded friend through the crowd.

"Lily!" she called, trying to walk around the tall person in front of her.

Lily heard Marlene calling her and turned to see where she was. Not paying attention, she smacked right into someone else and tumbled to the ground. Rubbing her arm, she looked up and met the hazel eyes of James Potter, who was staring at her with a mixture of dread and concern.

"You gonna keep staring at me or are you going to help me up?" She snapped. Looking taken aback, he quickly extended his hand and pulled her up. Ignoring him, she turned around and picked up the two books that had been in her hands when she fell.

Lily faced him again and smiled slightly. She almost burst out laughing at the resigned look that appeared on his face – he was expecting her to ask him out again. Poor guy, she thought, I really have sort of made his life miserable for the last six years.

"Sorry I snapped at you," she said with a small laugh. "I wasn't watching where I was going." James's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. "Anyway, I heard Marlene calling me, so I better go find her. Have a good summer, James."

And then she was gone, leaving James to wonder what had just happened.

Lily caught up with Marlene, and the two of them headed towards the barrier together.

"So you're going to try it?" Marlene asked. Lily nodded.

"I am going to be single all summer, and I am going to get over James Potter," she declared.

"Yeah right," Sirius laughed, having walked up to Lily's other side. "If you go all summer being single, I will eat three Cockroach Clusters with nothing to chase them down."

Lily laughed as he moved in between them and threw an arm around each of their shoulders. "I will be buying you those Clusters come September Sirius, just you wait and see."

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 **So still a bit of setup, the fun really begins next chapter. As always, review please! Much love!**


	3. How Did This Happen

**Heyyyyyy guysssssss. So I know I said I had so many chapters written and that would mean we could stay on a regular update schedule BUT I kind of wasn't counting on my laptop's hard drive conking out on me, which it did. So I had to wait awhile to do anything about it because I was waiting for a friend of mine who works in tech to find time to come over and switch out the hard drive and transfer all the data to the new one. That all went successfully, so I didn't lose anything I'd written. And then immediately following that I started a new job, so that's been an adjustment too. And sometimes I'm just flat forgetful, but try not to hold it against me. Here is your months-overdue next chapter and hopefully from here on out the updates will be regular again (although with Camp NaNoWriMo coming up in July I make no concrete promises)**

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Lily navigated her way through all the people on the Platform, desperately searching for a sign of Marlene, Sirius, or Alice. None of them had heard her news yet and she was bursting with it, to the point where she was almost panicking. Dumbledore must have been losing his mind when he made this decision.

Finally she found Alice with her boyfriend Frank, although she decided that they were best left undisturbed – neither of them was really in the mood for _talking_. Their lips were occupied in other ways.

She let out a frustrated noise as she finally gave up and began moving towards the train.

"All right Evans?" a voice came from behind her, sending butterflies spiraling up from her stomach. Lily turned and came face to face with James Potter. She tried her best not to blush – she _was_ over him after all.

"Just looking for my friends," she said, pretending to scan the platform behind him to avoid his eyes. What was up with her? She never acted like this around him.

"Haven't seen any of them," he said warily, half expecting one of them to sneak up behind him and pull some kind of prank. That thought vanished from his mind once he noticed Evans's strange behavior. She hadn't hit on him in almost five months, including the summer, and she wasn't even looking at him right now.

"Anyway," she said distractedly, "I'm gonna hop on the train to try to find them. See you later…" the last word trailed off as something pinned to his chest caught her eye. He had already changed into his robes – she presumed that his parents had Apparated him here rather than running through the wall – and pinned on the left side of his robes was a bright badge, shining more than his slightly smaller Quidditch Captain's badge.

Head Boy.

James Potter was Head Boy.

"Bye James," she squeaked, before running off and hurling herself into the first empty compartment on board the train that she could find.

Of course he was Head Boy. He had the highest grades, never misbehaved, was the perfect role model for all the younger students. Everyone had expected it, she had just begun to hope that he wouldn't get it.

The door to her compartment slid open and Lily looked up. She had never been so happy to see Marlene, Sirius, Alice, and Frank before.

"Oh thank Merlin you guys are here," she said, trying not to burst into hysterical tears. Marlene sank onto the seat next to her and began rubbing her back.

"What happened? Was it Potter?" she asked gently. Lily shook her head, and then nodded, and then shook her head again, leaving her friends utterly confused.

"Look, do I need to beat someone up or not?" Sirius asked impatiently, and Lily shook her head while making a sound that could almost pass for a laugh.

"He's Head Boy," she finally managed. Her friends looked at each other and shrugged, not really surprised and not really understanding the problem. Lily let out a frustrated noise, and something seemed to dawn on Marlene.

"The Heads have their own tower don't they? With private rooms and a common room?" Lily looked up at Marlene, a new sense of dread filling her.

"They do?"

Marlene nodded sympathetically. "And you're worried that whoever Head Girl is will get so much time with him that he will fall for her and then you will really have no chance."

Lily let her head fall into her hands. She wasn't worried about that; if anything she was worried that he was going to hate the new Head Girl.

"Lils, it will be okay," Alice said soothingly.

"I thought you were going to try to get over him," Sirius interjected sharply.

"I am over him," she muttered into her hands. "That's not exactly the problem."

"Well then what is?" Marlene asked exasperatedly. "You've been very vague and confusing since we walked into the compartment. Just spit it out already!"

Without a word, and without meeting her friends eyes, Lily dug in her pocket and pulled out a very wrinkly and slightly heavy envelope and tossed it onto the seat across from her.

All of her friends eyed it warily, and after a few tense moments it was Alice who finally reached over and picked it up.

"Lils, this is pretty heavy," she said, understanding creeping into her voice. "Does this mean…I mean, are you? I don't understand…how…you…oh sweet Merlin." Alice let the envelope fall back onto the seat and dropped her head into her hands.

Marlene and Sirius looked at each other, nonplussed. "Uh, _we_ still don't know what's going on," Marlene finally said, pointing between herself and Sirius.

Lily made a gesture with her hand, indicating that Alice should explain.

"Ahem," Alice began nervously, "it appears that our Lilykins here is…well she seems to be…"

"SPIT IT OUT ALICE!" Marlene and Sirius yelled simultaneously.

With one last nervous glance at Lily, Alice muttered, "She's Head Girl."

Lily could almost hear her friends' jaws drop.

"No," Sirius said in a hushed tone, "there's no way!"

"Look in the envelope," Lily managed to squeak out. "That's what I thought at first too, but it says my name and everything!"

Sirius yanked the envelope from Alice's hands and turned it upside down. A bright red badge, embossed with a Gryffindor lion, fell into his open palm. Scrolling across the top was a banner reading _Head Girl_ , and a small one reading _Lily Evans_ ran across the bottom.

Simultaneously, Sirius and Marlene turned to stare at Lily, their faces incredulous.

" _How?_ " they said at the same time.

"Okay, you guys have _got_ to stop doing that, it's getting creepy!" Lily said crossly. "And I don't know how it happened, Dumbledore must be going senile. I mean, _me_ for Head Girl? _Me_ paired with James Potter?"

Nobody was quite sure what to say.

"I hate to mention this Lily," Frank began hesitantly, "but you have to go meet him in the Heads' Carriage and then lead the Prefects meeting with him afterwards, and you probably should head that way soon." He checked his watch and Lily groaned.

"How am I supposed to do that?" she cried. "I was never a prefect, I've never led anyone in anything other than some kind of group prank! Dumbledore has lost his marbles." She grabbed her badge and stood up, making her way out of the compartment, still mumbling under his breath about craziness and marbles.

Three carriages up was a door with the words _Heads' Carriage_ embossed across the top in loopy writing. Taking a deep breath she seized to door knob and pushed the door open, poking her head inside.

James wasn't there yet so she carefully seated herself on one of the benches. Two pieces of paper rested on the table in the middle and she leaned over to peer at one.

 _Current Prefects…_ followed by a list of names of the years' prefects and their houses.

The door opened and James stepped in, stopping in the doorway when he saw her.

"What are you doing in here? How did you even manage to get in here?" he asked warily. She stood and met his gaze nervously.

"I'm Head Girl," she replied, her voice nearly a whisper. James let out a short laugh and shook his head.

"You just can't take a hint can you?" he said harshly. "It doesn't matter what you do, or what you try. I. Don't. Like. You. And I'm not going to. So can you tell me who the _real_ Head Girl is and what you did with her?"

Lily stood there silently, chewing her lip.

He could swear her eyes were watering. But that couldn't be possible, because that would mean that Lily Evans actually had feelings or any kind of heart.

Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her Head Girl badge, handing it to him. He took it from her and stared at it.

It was like someone had found out his worst nightmare and brought it to life, he couldn't help but think. Having to work with Lily Evans every day. Having to _live_ with Lily Evans every day, with nobody else around to act as a buffer between them.

What had Dumbledore been thinking?

Lily yanked her badge out of his hand and shoved it back into her pocket. "I know that this obviously wasn't your first choice. And I wasn't expecting it, I certainly didn't _ask_ for it." She paused, glaring at him while he stood mute. "Whatever – Dumbledore has lost his mind, and when we get to the castle I'll tell him that myself when I give him back the badge. That way you can live and work with someone you can stand to be around."

She shoved past him and was halfway out the door when he surprised her by grabbing her arm to stop her.

"I'm sorry," he said, sighing, "That was uncalled for on my part. I'm just very surprised."

"You and me both," Lily yanked her arm from his grasp and stepped as far away from him as the compartment would allow, still angry and slightly hurt.

"Look," James said, leading her back over to the seats, "I know we don't really get along, but now we have to. Dumbledore had to have had his reasons for picking you for Head Girl."

"Yeah, like he'd had a little too much Firewhiskey."

James sighed again and ran his hand through his hair. "Or he actually thinks you could do a good job. Or that maybe it will get you to behave a little bit. Honestly, the students are more likely to listen to you than to me – half the school worships you and your friends, and they respect you."

Lily could feel her jaw dropping. James Potter – saying nice things about _her_? And to her _face_? She felt like she might faint.

"Well…thank you," she finally stammered, "that means a lot coming from you."

He stared at her confusedly for a moment. Blushing, she looked away, gazing at the countryside racing by.

"Don't mention it," was all James replied, and they passed the rest of the time before the prefects' meeting in silence.

* * *

 **So there ya go! I didn't wanna try to shove in the prefects' meeting because there wasn't anything super important to be included in it. I will see if I can't get the next chapter up within a couple days to make up for the long lack of a chapter. Thank you guys for your patience and understanding (at least I'm hoping that's how you feel and not that you hate me or want to give up on the story)**

 **Much love!**


	4. Home Sweet New Home

Lily dropped her trunk as soon as she stepped inside the Heads' Rooms, her jaw dropping as well. Behind her she could hear James give a low whistle as he glanced around their new home.

The Common Room was twice as big as the Gryffindor Common Room, with a whole wall that was nothing but windows looking out over the lake. Lily suspected that looking up from the lake those windows just looked like a wall. There was a comfy looking window seat with extra cushions and she had to resist the urge to fling herself onto it.

James brushed past her on his way towards the door with his name engraved over the top. Lily shivered as his hand rubbed against hers, sending chills up her spine. He glanced back at her.

"Alright?"

Lily nodded and picked up her trunk, lugging it behind her towards her own room next to James's. Over the arch of the door frame it read _Lily_ in an elegant, curving script that Lily wished whole-heartedly she could replicate. Instead she had some weird chicken-scratch handwriting that teachers frequently complained about not being able to read.

Slowly, she pushed the door open and poked her head into her room. Her jaw dropped as the door slid all the way open and her trunk fell from her hand with a dull _thud_.

She had a full-size bed, and her own wall of windows with her own window seat. There was a desk, a closet, and… _her own bathroom_. It was all Lily could do to keep from squealing when she looked in and saw her own shower and tub, and her own sink. No more sharing with four other girls, no more arguments over who the lip gloss belonged to, or who had used Marlene's shampoo again. Lily would never admit it, but that last one was her.

With a casual flick of her wand, her trunk opened and her clothes sorted themselves into her closet and drawers. Another flick, and the trunk slid under her bed.

"Ahem."

Lily spun around, arching her eyebrow when she spotted James lounging in her doorway. "Yes?"

He gestured to her trunk. "That was some good magic. Didn't know you had it in you."

"Thank you," she replied, fighting the blush that was her redhead's curse, "but I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone else. Reputation, and all that," she said airily, spinning back around and aiming for her bed. With a laugh, she dived towards it, twisting in mid-air so that she landed on her back. "This bed is so comfortable, you have no idea!" Another laugh bubbled up out of her, and she temporarily forgot that James Potter was staring at her.

Following impulse, she kicked her shoes off and stood on her bed, bouncing slightly. Her skirt threatened to fly up, so she held it down with her hands as she jumped higher. Thank Merlin for high ceilings in a castle, she thought with a grin.

She jumped again, spinning in a circle in the air, and caught sight of James's shocked face. "What?" she asked, jumping up, landing on her bum, and then bouncing back to her feet. "Never jumped on a bed before, Potter?"

Bemused, he shook his head and watched her, jumping and giggling like a five-year-old. She stopped for a moment and stared at him.

"Well, come on!" She said exasperatedly, gesturing towards herself and the bed. Nervously, he stepped towards her, kicking off his shoes and crawling onto the bed. As soon as he was standing, she began bouncing, throwing him slightly off balance and making him bounce as well. It was actually really fun, he realized with a smile as he jumped higher and higher. He could even jump higher than Lily since he wasn't wearing a skirt. What kind of deprived childhood had he had, James wondered, that he had never experienced the simple pleasure of jumping on a bed?

Lost in his thoughts, James didn't realize quite how close he was jumping to his Co-Head. Until he collided with her and sent both of them falling on top of the bed, of course.

"Ow!" Lily gasped. "You have pointy elbows!" She rubbed her side for a moment before looking at him. He was half-sprawled on top of her, face down on her comforter. Lily poked him gingerly. "Potter? James? Oh Merlin, you're still alive, right?"

James lifted his head and readjusted his glasses. "Of course I'm still alive. A little fall isn't going to hurt me." He chuckled, and Lily giggled with him. "But I probably should finish unpacking. I was just curious about what your room looked like compared to mine." He made to push himself up off of her, but something jerked him back down. This time, their foreheads collided and they both let out yelps of pain.

Rubbing hers lightly, Lily opened her eyes and met the startled hazel gaze of James Potter. She became uncomfortably aware of how he was laying on top of her, her legs tangled with his, and it was all she could do to keep from swooning. So much for getting over this guy. She had to fight to keep from smirking at the thought that she actually seemed to be getting _under_ him now. Lily bit her lip.

James stared at her for a moment, waiting for the dirty joke or request for a date. Neither came, and he was startled when she began to blush, her cheekbones flushing a light pink that he was forced to admit looked good on her.

Averting his eyes, he looked down to see what had yanked him back down so suddenly, and her gaze followed his.

His tie had somehow snagged on one of the buttons of her shirt. Propping himself up on one elbow, James tried to loosen it with one hand. All he succeeded in doing was nearly ripping the button off of her shirt.

"Let me," Lily said quietly, brushing his hand out of the way. In a second, she had them unconnected. James caught himself staring at her again, but this time she was the one to look away first.

"You can get off me now," she muttered, pulling nervously on a lock of hair near her ear.

"Right," he mumbled, clambering off her and walking over to where his shoes were. "Sorry." He slid his shoes back on before looking at her again. She hadn't moved, and was still tugging on a piece of her hair and staring at the ceiling.

"Patrol later?" Lily asked. James nodded, then realized that she wasn't looking at him.

"Yeah. See you then."

Without another word, he slipped out of her room and shut the door behind him.

"Stop being stupid, Evans," she muttered to herself, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't like she hadn't taken her vow to get over him during the summer seriously, quite the opposite in fact. Anytime his face popped into her mind she forced herself to think of something else, usually something repulsive like Petunia's new boyfriend, Vernon. If that somehow didn't work – which it did, eighty percent of the time – then she made herself think of things about him that bothered her or annoyed her, or forced herself to relive one of his many rejections. She'd done very well, she thought, to the point that by August he was only popping into her thoughts maybe once a day, a drastic improvement.

She just hadn't counted on the Head Girl badge coming to her. And she definitely hadn't counted on the stupid little flip and flutter her heart had done when she'd laid eyes on him for the first time in months.

She had underestimated her own feelings, her own heart, and she needed to fix it, fast.


End file.
